Patent · US Expired

Dynamic memory reclamation without compiler or linker assistance

US6125434A · kind A · utility

47Cited by
12References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 19, 1998
Grant dateSep 26, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 19, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S707/99957
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of dynamic memory reclamation for reclaiming memory leaks is disclosed, in which inaccessible heap segments are reclaimed without recompilation or relinkage of an application. The method comprises intercepting a call from an application to allocate or deallocate a heap segment, forwarding the call to the memory manager, passing the memory allocation and deallocation information from the memory manager to a file, performing a conservative garbage collection process using the memory allocation and deallocation information in the file to detect inaccessible heap segments, and calling to the memory manager from the file to deallocate the inaccessible heap segments. These steps are repeated periodically.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.